A confession about three nails
"Sam," the voice on the phone said, simply. I was transported back 25 years.
There’s a great tradition on British radio. At 7:48 a.m., six mornings a week, a religious leader speaks live for two minutes and 45 seconds on BBC Radio 4 about an issue in the news and its theological significance. It’s called “Thought for the Day,” and it attracts around 6 million listeners (albeit most of whom are brushing their teeth or dropping children off at school). I fancied a go from when I first tuned in at age 12, so I was delighted to be asked five years ago; since then I’ve become a regular.
Not long ago I was finishing a meeting with a colleague when my phone rang. The voice said simply, “Sam”—and immediately I was transported back to my early days in ordained ministry, more than 25 years ago. He was a firefighter. He started coming to church about the time I began in the parish. He was in my first adult confirmation class. I ushered my colleague out and sat down intently to hear what had triggered this call—rapidly processing the range of terrible events that might be about to cascade down upon me.
“I heard you on the radio this morning and thought I’d leave a message—I never expected you to pick up the phone,” said my long-lost parishioner.
